1 
Land Information Management in Southern Africa 
Focus on technology management training in Surveying and Mapping in Namibia 
Chris Paresi, Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-Information Management Department, paresi(d'itc.nl, 
Dr. Massoud Sharif, Earth Observation Sciences Department, sharif(citc.n] 
International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) 
PO Box 6, 7500 AA Enschede, The Netherlands. 
KEY WORDS: Land, Management, Surveying, Mapping, Training 
ABSTRACT 
The overall objective of the Dutch funded project, Land Information Management in Southern Africa (IT-2), is to strengthen the capacity 
of the Ministry of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (MLRR) in Namibia, Department of Lands Affairs (DLA) in South Africa, 
equivalent and/or related Ministries, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and private sector in southern Africa, to achieve their 
strategic objectives related to the effective implementation of land reform programmes, through the development of a comprehensive 
educational programme in Land (Information) Management. In particular, a series of one or two-weeks organisation and technology 
management workshops for MLRR managers has be designed and implemented. Following and in relation to these workshops the MLRR 
managers have received professional coaching to support the elaboration of action plans to enhance MLRR operations. The paper 
elaborates on the guiding principles, modus operandi and results of this organisation development programme and in particular on one of 
its components related to technology management training on modern data acquisition methods, focussing on the particular needs of the 
Directorate of Survey and Mapping. The Existing situation in Namibia, namely, the reference ellipsoid, map Projection, GPS Network 
Coordinate system is reviewed. The triangulation Network in S. Africa is discussed. Further, the Namibian Cadastral Data Base, and the 
practice of surveying in Namibian cadastre department are presented. Moreover, some comments on existing Namibian 
systems/procedures, namely, the ground control point network, and the transformation parameters, cadastral surveying are presented. 
Finally, problems in surveying and mapping in Namibia are discussed. 
INTRODUCTION 
For decades the central social and political issue in southern 
Africa has been access to land. The recent democratisation in 
Namibia and RSA and in other southern African countries has 
resulted in new constitutional provisions, new laws and new 
policies on land. Consequently land managing institutions face 
an immense task to implement land reform. At the same time 
the new democracies in southern Africa lack a good cadre in all 
segments of society. One of the prime reasons for the slow 
delivery of land in the reform programme IN Southern Africa is 
the lack of suitably trained and educated land managers to 
deliver land at the required rates. The Dutch government has 
very early recognized the need to strengthen the capacity of 
land managing institutions (governmental, NGO, private sector) 
in southern Africa, to achieve their strategic objectives related 
to the effective implementation of land reform programmes, 
through the development of a comprehensive educational 
programme in Land (Information) Management. This has lead 
to setting up a series of Dutch funded development programmes 
in Namibia and South Africa between 1996 and 2004 that are 
shortly reported below. But the emphasis of the paper is on 
organisation and technology management training, to enhance 
the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery of land 
managing institutions, focussing on the particular needs of the 
Directorate of Survey and Mapping in Namibia. 
1. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION PROJECTS IN 
LAND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN SOUTHERN 
AFRICA 
First contacts were established between the Ministry of Lands, 
Resettlement and Rehabilitation (MLRR) of Namibia and the 
International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth 
Observation (ITC) in May 1993. As a result an ITC certificate 
course in land use planning was implemented in Namibia on a 
block release basis in the period 1995-96 with funds from the 
Danish NGO Ibis. Thereafter the concept was further developed 
and with funding initially from Directoraat Generaal 
Internationale Samenwerking (DGIS) International Education 
Programme (DPO/IO) (later from the SAIL project 
programme), the Institutional Support and Human Resource 
Development (INSHURD) project provided institutional 
support and human resource development for MLRR in the 
period 1996-2001. Two one-year National Certificate (NC) 
courses in Land Use Planning and Land Measuring have been 
designed, developed and implemented at the Polytechnic of 
Namibia. The target group for the course participants was 
primarily MLRR. The INSHURD courses have been fully 
institutionalised at the Polytechnic in 1999. 
The Training and Education in Land Management in Southern 
Africa (TELMSA) project, 1999-2001, which was funded under 
the Dutch SAIL project programme, regionalizes the 
INSHURD concept and training and education was also 
developed at the Centre for Environment and Development, 
University of Natal (CEAD/NU) in South Africa. TELMSA 
adds two additional one year NC in Land Valuation and Urban 
Land Use Management and develops a three year National